Music on My Blog!

* I just added another one, one I can't believe I didn't think of right away!! ; )

One of the new things I'm playing around with on this updated version of Blogger is the music video feature. If you scroll down a bit, you'll see that in the sidebar I've added a few songs for you to enjoy while you peruse my written meanderings.
I will try not to go too crazy with this feature - I do love music after all - but I make no promises. : )

I Upgraded (Blogs, that is.)

I'm resisting the change no more. I held off and held off upgrading my blog because it involved re-doing my entire template, and that was a scary thought, considering all the customizing I've done. My final temptation, though, was the new slideshow feature that Blogger is offering. That was just too cool to miss out on.
Turns out, upgrading really was pretty simple. With the process, I didn't lose my links or anything, and now I can label better. Sure, I spent a couple of hours tinkering around, but it wasn't so much necessary as interesting.
Hopefully, you'll enjoy the changes; I'm sure I'll be tweaking things for a while.

Good Luck, Jennifer and Matthew!

Two of my very good friends are moving away from Austin. They will set off tomorrow morning on a 20-hour drive, three cats and a dog in their backseat, and all of us here wishing it wasn't quite this way. I'm really going to miss them. Whether it is a party or an event or just hanging out, if Jennifer and Matthew are there, it's always fun. They are that kind of couple.
When we last were all together, someone remarked on our conversation topics, and I realized how special it is to have friends who you literally can talk about anything with. Our conversations have been all over the place, about topics I'd never dream of engaging in during "polite" conversations. It's really valuable when you can find friends who you can be yourself with and who won't judge you. I am so going to miss having them as part of our group!!
Best of luck, Jennifer and Matthew! Hopefully, I will see you soon!

Quite a Long Time

I don't think I've ever gone this long without posting before!! I'm still quite sick, but I just keep on going forward the best I can - I don't know what else to do at this point. I plan to work hard for a couple of days and then spend time with my family later this week and hopefully finally get well. I'm more of a natural health person, but I have taken the medications they prescribed, just to no avail. My mom actually called me this weekend to ask if I'd heard about that deadly virus the news people are talking about that puts young, healthy people in the hospital! I told her if I have that, then I guess I'm actually doing pretty well! :P

I plan to serve Thanksgiving dinner this evening to people who would otherwise not have one. I've done a lot of volunteer work, but I can't recall ever actually serving food so I'm really looking forward to it. It's always a learning experience for me when I get in there personally and do something like this. And, it always is rewarding - even when it's tough.
(Note: It's well established that I'm not contagious.)

Some Things I Like

I've been sick for over two weeks now and doing an awful job of resting - I'm too nervous and high-strung these days for that. I am trying to surround myself with good, positive things, and I came across some I liked:

"Sometimes you just have to take the leap and grow your wings on the way down."
(Otherwise known as "The Story of My Life" for the last few years.)

"She believed she could do it, so she did."

"Low-rise jeans are so impractical when you are flying by the seat of your pants." (OK, this one was just funny.)

I also came up with a great title for a new book - one I'm tempted to start before finishing the other. I'd love to print it, but I'm afraid it'd get stolen. I'll say this: it sounds like it could be a funny country music song, and it was inspired by someone.

I love "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie (I can't not sing this song when I hear it.) Then I heard another song and was like, "Who is that? I have to hear that again!" I did this morning and, turns out, it's Fergie again with "Clumsy." I'm not big into celebrities, but I guess I identify with her music - probably stems back to afternoons watching Kids' Incorporated, one of the best. shows. ever. :P

All Saints and Souls

I meant to wish everyone a Happy Halloween yesterday, but now I'll just wish you a Happy All Saints' Day and Happy All Souls' Day instead! (For Catholics, on All Saints' Day, we celebrate the lives of the saints, and on All Souls' Day, we remember those who have died.)

In that "spirit" (ha ha!) AP-Ipsos released results from a recent survey:

48 percent of people believe in extra-sensory perception. (ESP, the "sixth sense," includes such psychic abilities as precognition, clairvoyance, clairaudience, remote viewing, and telepathy.)
34 percent believe in ghosts.
30 percent have woken up from sleep with the sense of a strange presence in the room.
23 percent have seen or believed themselves to be in the presence of a ghost.

Very, very interesting ...

Give Me Daylight - or Give Me Sleep

Usually I'm a newsaholic, but with working so much lately, that's one of the things I haven't been following as closely. (And, I'm pretty sure not a lot will have changed in the world of politics by the time I catch up anyway.) I did happen to hear, though, that we are delaying the time change, and I, for one, believe that is a great idea! Since I was in high school and learned the initial reasons behind the change, I've never understood why it still continues. There are always technical reasons given, but, simply, I like the extra daylight. It allows more time for all sorts of the generic-type house and life things we all do, and it just feels too dark too early otherwise (and I'm a major night owl even!) ... Of course, I won't complain about the extra hour of sleep it brings! ;)

Btw, I've noticed that Blogger has a new feature to help people keep up with comment threads. Many times we get some great threads going here - so that might end up being a neat feature to have.

Busy Bee

I think it's safe to say I've been a bit busy lately, as I've been finishing up my first issue of Texas Family Magazine. I have to say I think it is going to be really great. We have put a lot of work into it, and it will show.

I went down to Houston again to film a couple more segments for that television show. I still don't have clips from any of my segments, but I will eventually. When I have them, you'll get them.

While I was down in Houston, I visited the Children's Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and interviewed kids who are being treated there. It definitely put my own problems in perspective when I sat down with these kids - kids who are dealing with things even adults would have difficulty handling. It was good, though, and I think when you read the story you will have a very good idea of what it is like for them. That was my goal, at least.

The Great Beyond

I'm learning today that apparently everyone in the entire universe has a MySpace page -- that is, everyone in the entire universe other than me. I've always been kind of anti-MySpace, personally speaking, but now I'm feeling like there's this whole other world out there I didn't know existed ... and I'm being left out. :(

Anyway, I did come across a great picture of my handsome brother and my beautiful niece, and since I've never put my brother on here, there's no time like the present. :) I'm not sure if it will come through because of my bang-up job getting rid of red eye, but they both have gorgeous blue eyes!

A Whole Lot of Recipes

I think this is a neat little aside - I just sold a bunch of my recipes to the Tri-County Electrical Coop publication in Hooker, Oklahoma.
You all know I love to cook and bake, and part of that love is being able to share it with others. All my recipes have been published before, but selling them in one batch is neat because it means for the next year and a half or so, all those Oklahomans will get a regular dose of me! My first recipe, or, rather, trio of recipes, are in the October issue - cinnamon sugar, salted, and plain roasted pumpkin seeds.

How the Other Half Lives

While I slave 12 hours a day to put food in her bowl, Snickers just chills.

I guess that's how we roll around here ... :)

Truth or ...

Is it truth or the inside of a bologna sandwich? That's for people to decide for themselves, but it's hard to deny this stuff is interesting.
I went to a Mind, Body, Spirit Expo this weekend, and one of the things I tried was a computer sensor chakra reading. Some of it was personal, but one thing of interest is I have a great deal of purple/lavender and through that section a big white swath. Purple represents a strong connection to the spiritual. The white, I was told, is my ancestors, who are communicating with me, guiding me to make the right decisions. It also is a result of being prayed for a lot. Both of these I know very well to be true, but it was neat to see it in front of me - on a computer screen - instead of just in "my world."

The second thing I did was have a picture of my aura taken. This is something I have always thought would be cool to do! I came out an Indigo. (Interestingly, my favorite color since childhood has been blue-violet - like the Crayola color - and my office is lavender.) I had no idea what "Indigo" meant until I searched. Again, whether you believe this kind of stuff or not, it’s hard to deny it’s interesting:

Indigo is the most recent aura color to arrive on the planet. Indigos are ushering in a new energy, a new consciousness, and a new age of peace and harmony. Indigos are here to live as examples of a new higher awareness. Honest, aware, highly intuitive, psychic, independent, fearless, strong-willed, and sensitive. Indigos are old souls who know who they are and where they've come from. These assertive individuals are born with their spiritual memories intact.

They are highly evolved, extraordinary individuals, who may hold a genius-level IQ. These individuals are bizarre, sensitive, honest, strong-willed, and aware of themselves as well as those around them (almost to a fault.) On the negative side, they can be stubborn, refuse to admit their faults, occasionally reclusive, and overly sensitive. Indigo is dominant in the auras of people who act as catalysts, who accelerate the spiritual and psychic development of everyone they encounter.

You feel like no one "gets" or understands who you are. You are "tuned in." Are highly creative in the arts, music and/or literature. Always need to know WHY, especially when being asked to do something. Are willing to step outside the box and challenge the system. You are a great BS detector and do not like people who lie and who do not come from integrity. You are easily zapped of energy, due to the fact that you are a bright Light and others want to take yours. You are easily susceptible to lower energies attaching themselves to you. Have deep empathy for others, yet an intolerance of stupidity. You are empathic and it's challenging for you to block it out. They feel a burning desire to do something to change and improve the world. May have trouble identifying their path. You have a innate ability to manifest whatever you desire. Have had psychic experiences, such as premonitions, seeing angels or ghosts, out of body experiences, hearing voices. May be electrically sensitive, such as watches not working and street lights going out as you move under them, electrical equipment malfunctioning, and lights blowing out.

Full of energy, high self-esteem, an almost regal sense of entitlement. They react to unfairness and have little patience for rules, discipline, authority (authority without explanation or choice), or "old" structures. They are easily bored with assigned tasks, and see a better way to do things. They can read you like a book, and can spot hidden agendas or attempts to manipulate them. Many Indigos feel the strong need to help and be of service to others, even putting their own well being at risk. They can come across as fearless and ready to tackle things head on. They truly exemplify the next stage in human potential and are opening doors to the unlimited possibilities, which yet exist to be experienced. They are masters incarnate. They love and need the freedom to express themselves in whatever way they see fit.

Cooper's BBQ in Llano

The other day, I went to an awesome barbecue joint over in Llano - Cooper's BBQ. It was the kind of down home place you tend to find out about through word of mouth, and then only if you're very lucky. From the crowds there, though, I'm guessing word has gotten out pretty well.

What's neat about this restaurant is that, before even entering, you walk up to a big pit filled with all different kinds of meat, and you simply point out which one you want. "Sauce?" they ask. If yes, they dunk it in a bucket of sauce (literally) and then toss it on a tray. You take your now-dripping-with-sauce tray inside where they cut it up for you and you pick out sides, etc. Instead of individual tables, Cooper's has long picnic tables where everyone eats on butcher paper and shares loaves of bread and various foodstuffs. It was way cool eating like this because people just start talking to you. And these are great, down to earth, real Texas people, the kind that make me feel at home.

It's a beautiful drive, too, through the Highland Lakes.

Kentucky Story in Birmingham Magazine

I have a story out this month in Birmingham Magazine. It's my first time to be in this publication, which is a lengthy, really well-done monthly. My story is on Lake Cumberland in Southeast Kentucky.

Here is my two-page spread. The pictures are all mine, too - I was happy they were able to use so many of them. It was really quite pretty there.

TV Filming & Editor's Note Pictures

I spent the day down in H-Town yesterday, filming segments for a television show down there that I'm going to be doing every month. It was a pretty interesting experience. What's really interesting, though, is how much work goes in to it! So much, and then you get there, and boom! the segment is over!

I think it went pretty well, although I'm definitely curious to see what it looks like. Once we get videos, I'll post a link so you can check them out.
After I wrapped up the segments, we worked on getting my picture for the Editor's Note page. I had them snap some shots with my camera, too. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Texas Family - September/October 2007

The September/October issue of Texas Family Magazine is out. In this one, I have several pieces:
First, the main feature story is on Family Fun - how to bring fun in to the everyday. There really are some great ideas from my sources, especially one on how to make Saturday morning chores fun for the family!
For Deep in the Art of Texas, I wrote about the Creative Kids non-profit in El Paso. They do an amazing job of bringing art to the youth community, even going so far as to have art rooms for young cancer patients and for kids living in the projects.
In Talking Points, we address how to handle when parents have different parenting ideas, fighting between siblings, choosing a babysitter, and picking out kids' shoes.
Next time I post about a Texas Family issue, it will be my first as Editor in Chief! : )

My Deepest Condolences

My good friend's mom has just passed away. My deepest condolences and prayers go to her and her family.
Today, instead of just asking of God, I am thanking him for all I have, especially my family.

Introspection

Do you ever have those times where you find yourself stepping away from everything and just letting all the goings-on in your head go round and round?
I think all the time, and I mean ALL the time, but sometimes it seems like I need only to think, for a while. I go in to a hibernation of sorts, and then in hours, days, or weeks ... I emerge, with either some kind of answer or conclusion, or a sense of order, or at least a better feeling inside as to my path within all the chaos. I seem to need to do it to center or balance myself, like it's something essential for me to continue to press forward. I know I'm somewhat more sensitive than many (I am a Crab, after all,) but it seems like it moves beyond that, too. More spiritual, perhaps?
It reminds me of about ten years ago when I read the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" book. It talked about how men need to hibernate on occasion and how women should let them be when they do. It said men will come out of the cave on their own when they are ready, and all will be right again. We should let them come back to us, instead of pursuing them when they retreat, it said. I'm pretty obviously not a man, but perhaps it is similar:
All will be righted when my head peeks out of my shell, and I begin to walk toward the sand ...

Low Key Labor Day

It was a pretty low key Labor Day for me, which I guess is a good thing. No big news to report - I didn't win the lottery or finish my book or run off to Vegas and get married. I did steam clean my tile floors, and well, that is pretty exciting.
I did catch a significant portion of the "Murder, She Wrote" marathon on Hallmark Channel. Apparently, so did an awful lot of other people because I had a ton of hits on my blog for people searching for "Cabot Cove, Maine."
But, do they aspire in life to be a hybrid of Jessica Fletcher and Nancy Drew, like I do? That is the real question. :P

Texas Coast Escape

I took a nice, little day trip down to the Texas coast this weekend. So much is happening down there as far as development goes. I guess that is both good and bad - I just hope there's at least one private spot left for me when I get to the place in life where I'm ready for it.
I got to stick my feet in the sand for a couple of hours, though.